Simon
Robert and Sheila Howells welcome you to The Old House Cottage, Frog
Street, Bampton. We hope you had a good journey and will enjoy your
visit here.

We’ve
made every effort to try and ensure you have a comfortable and
private stay and hope the information in this folder will answer any
initial questions you might have. But if you do have more questions,
or encounter any problems, then please just ask. Make contact either
by ringing the bell on the black & white door opposite the well
in the little yard at the top of the garden path or phoning on 01398
331144.

The
normal departure time is 10 am but this can be extended if no other
guests are due later in the day. So if you would like a little more
time before you leave, please check with us whether it will be
possible.

Local
Hospital Tiverton District Hospital, 01884 235400, has a Minor
Injuries Unit staffed by nurse practitioners, open 8 am to 10 pm.
Call before you turn up to make sure your problem is one they can
deal with. The hospital is opposite Morrison’s Supermarket – see
Tiverton Town Plan in this ring binder.

Major
Emergencies There are major Accident & Emergency units each about
25 miles away at:

Royal Devon
& Exeter Hospital, Exeter

Musgrave
Park Hospital, Taunton

Exeter is
probably quickest to reach and likely to be the one used by the
ambulance service for emergencies from this area

Practical
information about the Cottage

Parking

Please
turn in to the area between the two stone buildings at the bottom of
the driveway and park so there is wheelbarrow size access to the
garden and vehicle access to the area over the bridge.

Outside
Lighting

There
are movement activated lights down the driveway from the road, in the
car parking area, along the garden path and by the door to the
cottage. However it’s advisable to take the rechargeable torch from
the cottage if you expect to be out in the dark.

Water
Stopcock

The
stopcock is in the street, any problems you’ll need to contact us.

Fuse
Box

The
fuse box is opposite the door, over the radiator, under a panel
attached by magnets. Each circuit is labelled and the switches just
need to be toggled back to the ‘on’ position if they trip out,
which may happen if a light bulb blows.

Fire
Extinguishers and Blankets

There
are two powder extinguishers. suitable for both ordinary and
electrical fires - one in the towel recess between the cooker and the
boiler in the kitchen area, and one on the staircase . There is also
a fire blanket for smothering cooking fires hanging on the wall
cupboard to the left of the sink in the kitchen area.

Smoke
Alarms

There
is a smoke alarm in the bedroom and another downstairs on the ceiling
near the front door. It has a tendency to go off when you burn toast,
and if this happens, please hold down the button on the alarm until
it stops. If it starts to beep at other times this may mean the
batteries need replacing, in which case please contact us.

Hot
Water and Central Heating

A
“Combi” boiler provides both central heating and hot water and is
under the worktop to the right of the cooker. Access to the control
panel is by pulling gently on the bottom right corner of the door.
There are two rocker switches and a timing dial (see picture later in
this binder). The on-off switch controls the whole operation and
should be left as it is, ie “On”. The other rocker switch has 3
settings, top for timed heating, bottom for continuous heating and
middle for hot water only. Even when the heating is not on, you may
hear the boiler switching itself on and off in order to top up the
hot water.

You
can see when the heating is programmed to come on by looking at the
white “tappets” on the timer dial and can change the time periods
by adjusting these or temporarily switching to “continuous” - but
remember to switch back to timed heating again afterwards. The
radiators are controlled by individual thermostatic valves, which are
all set appropriately, and shouldn’t need adjusting. If it becomes
too hot overall, just switch to hot water only for a while.

The
Woodburner

The
stove is very easy to light and provides a lot of heat. The air flow
control at the bottom shouldn’t need to be more than a ¾ turn open
after the fire has got going, the one at the top keeps the flame
looking bright and should be given a ¼ tweak. Unless you use the
stove a lot you won’t need to empty it as a bed of ash helps, if
the ash holder does become full, empty it into a carrier bag (when
the ash is cold!) and put this in the dustbin. Always keep the stove
door closed as it isn't designed to work with it open and will
probably burn badly. If the controls get too hot the poker tool with
the L-shaped end can be used to adjust them. If you need help with
the fire please ask, we're very happy to help .

Internal
Lighting Controls

There
are three switches on the right as you come in through the door. The
left hand switch controls the light just inside the door as well as
the lights in the bookcase (though these can also be individually
controlled by switches on top of the bookcase). The outside light is
controlled by the right hand switch. Once switched on it is movement
activated. The middle switch is two-way with the one at the top of
the stairs for the bedroom. Work surface light switches are under the
crockery cupboard and there is a light switch for the inglenook on
the inside right of the oak beam – mind your head!

Telephone

There
is no landline phone in the cottage. All mobile networks work to
varying degrees (T-mobile is excellent, o2 is good, Orange is dodgy)
and reception may be best upstairs near the window facing the
village. There are public phones in Newton Square and at the top of
Briton St.

TV/Radio/DVD/CD

Terrestrial
reception is hopeless here, so there is a satellite setup for radio
and TV which receives all free to air channels and radio stations.
There are three remote controls - TV, freesat and DVD, and a detailed
description of how to use them in a plastic folder near the TV.

Internet
Access

The
laptop in the bedroom provides free internet access via our own
broadband network. If you want to connect your own laptop the
instructions with the laptop should help, but if they don't mean much
to you come and ask and we should be able to sort things out.

Sleeping

The
bed is “zip and link” and can be made up as a double or two
singles. The sofa converts to a bed which may be used for an
occasional overnight guest. There is a travelling cot in the wardrobe
cupboard upstairs and a folding bed for a larger child.

Eating

4
seats for the breakfast bar are stored in the pedestal under the
breakfast bar. To open the door, give a sharp tug in the middle on
the left hand side.

Laundry

The
washing machine is under the worktop to the left of the sink with a
wheeled storage cupboard parked in front. The cupboard contains an
initial supply of washing powder/gel and conditioner, washing basket
and pegs. There is a drying rack, full size ironing board and iron in
the bedroom cupboard; also a small ironing board for use on a
worktop. In the lawned area opposite the kitchen window there is a
rotary clothes dryer for use if the weather is right.

Cleaning

There
is a soft sweeping brush and a vacuum cleaner in the cupboard under
the stairs and other cleaning equipment and materials under the sink.

Rubbish
Disposal

Use
the front bucket lined with a carrier bag in the sliding fitting
under the sink for day to day waste (the back bucket is intended for
use as a normal general purpose bucket). There are spare plastic
carrier bags in the container alongside. When a bag is full, please
tie it up and put it in the dustbin in the corner of the terrace
outside. For recycling purposes, please put clean paper and
cardboard, clean tins and glass/bottles in the black box beside the
dustbin.

Outside

The
cottage has its own small patio and lawned area but you are also
welcome to use other parts of the garden. Garden furniture and deck
chairs are available but may be stored elsewhere in the winter.
Should there be an unexpected period of good weather and you would
like them brought out, just ask. Cushions for the patio chairs are in
the whatnot just inside the cottage to keep them out of the rain.
There is a BBQ set up beside the fish pond in the corner of the
garden which you are welcome to use. Cleaning it up after use is
appreciated!

Equipment

The
cottage has quite a lot more than the minimum inventory requirements
of holiday cottage companies, but please ask if there’s something
more that you need.

Smoking

Smoking
is fine on the patio and in the garden. Please do not smoke inside
the cottage.

Pets

One well
behaved dog with responsible owners is welcome. Please do not let the
dog go on the bed or furniture in the cottage and keep it on a lead
when outside to avoid mess and damage to the garden and grounds.
However, provided it is supervised, you may let the dog off the lead
in the wooded area of the garden between the wooden bridge and the
pond on the other side of the stream. And please, though we know
you'll clean up any poo afterwards, don't let your dog relieve itself
on lawns as it makes scorch marks and kills the grass. Local people
generally walk their dogs higher up Frog Street and there is a
special dog poo collection bin on the pole near the telephone
exchange

You may
also
like to know there is a little dog next door and a resident cat
(small, black & white) here though she will run a mile if she
sees you or your dog. Any other cat is an intruder and can be chased
with impunity!

Bampton

Bampton
has a long and interesting history and there are various booklets in
the information box. We think the collection of buildings here, now
known as The Old House, dates back to the early 1700s, though
remarkably little seems to be known about it locally and we are still
trying to assemble information from various sources. However we do
know there was a tannery on the site up to about the 1860s - the
building across the stream is still known as the Bark House - and a
school for young ladies in the early 1800s. From the 1880s to about
the second world war it was a nursery and seedsman business.

Shopping
in Bampton

Bampton
has a good range of local shops which can cater for most of your day
to day needs. Below is a general description and opening times are on
a separate spreadsheet in this binder.

General
Food Shopping/Newspapers

There
are two mini-markets in the village, Spar (bottom of Frog Street and
turn right) and Costcutter half way up the main street (Brook Street)
on the left.

Bread
and Bakers

Bawdens
on the right hand side of Brook Street opposite Costcutter. Their
granary bread is especially good but sells out early. The Spar shop
also bakes a limited range,

Butcher

There
is a butcher in Brook Street who offers local meat, poultry and
cheese of a high standard.

Fruit
and Vegetables

Next
door to the butcher is Bampton Fruit and Veg with a good range of
fruit, vegetables, dairy eggs, deli-type foods and spices.

Fish

A fresh
fish
van comes to Brook St from about 8.30-10 am on Fridays. He parks as
near to the Post Office as possible but could be on either side of
the street, depending on spaces.

Pheasant

A local
enterprise, Bampton Game, has a stall on Saturday mornings opposite
Costcutter.

Petrol

The
nearest petrol is now at the supermarkets in Tiverton - Tesco (24
hour) and Morrisons. It’s advisable to fill up whenever you have
the chance as other petrol stations round here are few and far
between.

Pharmacist

Bampton
Pharmacy is on Newton Square (opposite The White Horse/Blackberries)
. The out of hours rota for the Tiverton pharmacists is shown in the
window.

Post
Office

The post
office is now inside the Spar shop in Newton Square Post can be
handed in there but is also still collected from the box outside the
old Post Office in Brook Street at 4.45 pm Monday-Friday, 12.15 on
Saturday and 10.00 am Sunday.

Cash
& Banking

There
are free to use cash machines in Spar and Costcutter. Cash cards can
be used in the Post Office. Tiverton has all the main banks and
building societies.

Taxis

The
local taxi service is Chris' Car based in Bampton 0777-360-0125, chris@chriscar.co.uk, www.chriscar.co.uk and
there are others in Tiverton, via yellow pages.

Other
Shopping

Tiverton,
about 7 miles away, is the local shopping centre and you get there by
making for the link road (dual carriageway) and going straight on at
the roundabout (see street map).

Supermarkets

There
are two major supermarkets in Tiverton, Morrison's and Tesco (24
hours). To reach Morrison's go straight across at the roundabout on
the link road (dual carriageway) then right at the second roundabout
(opposite the leisure centre, before the hill on the way into town).

The
most straightforward way to reach Tesco is to turn left at the link
road roundabout, take the first exit, go right over the link road and
straight on at the first roundabout (passing McDonalds on the left).
Go straight down to the next roundabout, turn right and then almost
immediately right again into Blundells Road, following it to the left
until you reach the small roundabout at the entrance to the Tesco car
park.

There
is a small Somerfield off the Market parking area and a smallish
food-only Marks & Spencer near the bus station in Phoenix Lane.
The Tiverton Pannier Market in the town centre is open every day with
a Farmers Market on the third Wednesday of the month, open till early
afternoon.

Other
Shops

Tiverton
has a reasonable range of the better known high street and other
shops, plus banks and building societies. Also rare examples of two
endangered species - a department store (Banbury’s) and an
independent cinema (the Tivoli).

Taunton
and Exeter, each about 25 miles away, are county towns and have the
usual range of large-town shops and amenities plus superstores and
shopping sheds on the outskirts. Exeter being a city and with a large
student population is livelier and has the better entertainment and
shopping facilities of the two.

Eating
Out

In
Bampton, The
Quarryman’s Rest, The Swan and The Bridge all have some good beers
and restaurant-type food. The Bridge has a folk night sometimes, the
Quarryman’s Rest has live music every now and then. The Quarryman’s
has recently changed hands and has been getting good reviews from
visitors, as has The Swan. You cannot book at The Swan, just turn up.
The Blackberries Restaurant does a wide range of meals, including
themed nights.

The
Toucan Café-Bistro in Brook Street has won awards for its food. It
is open for espresso, lattes (with newspapers for browsing) and lunch
weekdays from Tuesday to Friday mornings and afternoons. It no longer
does evening meals routinely but has specials, eg curry nights, and
is licensed for beer and wine. It's necessary to book for evening
meals.

Bawdens
the bakers in Brook Street has a cosy café area where you can have
breakfast, tea, coffee, cakes, rolls/sandwiches, pasties and
ice-cream in a homely setting.

The
Chip Shop on Brook Street has some seats for eating in and does a
variety of other fast food including pizzas.

Takeaways.
The
nearest takeaway is run from a van on the industrial estate off the
South Molton Road (leaflet in the binder). There are various Indian
and Chinese restaurants in Tiverton. You can order by phone and then
drive in to collect (no home deliveries here!). There are some
leaflets in the binder.

Nearby
Restaurants.There
are lots of eating places in the countryside roundabout, but the
following are not far away and can be recommended. There is more
information and sample menus in the folder.

The
Rock Innat
Waterrow
about halfway between here and Wiveliscombe on the back road to
Taunton - turn left at the bottom of Frog Street. Booking is
sometimes necessary. 01984 623293.

The
Globeat Appley.
You
may need to book as it can get quite busy especially at weekends.
It’s not all that easy to find so if you want to go there it might
be as well to ask us for directions. 01823 672327.

A
brief guide is below and there is a wide selection of leaflets and
booklets in the information boxes Another good resource is the
Bampton website www.bampton.org.uk
which has links to many other useful sites. www.discoverdevon.comis
also worth a look. The cottage laptop has links to various useful
local sites on the menu bar along the top.

Riding

There
are many riding establishments in the area, Dulverton Tourist Office,
the Exmoor Information Centre, (about 7 miles away) is a good place
to look as the village is a centre for equestrian sports. See
leaflets in the information box and maybe also visit the Exmoor
Information Centre in Dulverton.

Beaches

Minehead
is the nearest beach, but not the nicest. Lynton and Lynmouth on the
North Coast for traditional seaside towns, Dawlish and Teignmouth on
the South. There are many great lonely bays and surfing beaches on
the coast between Lynton and Barnstaple, notably Woolacombe and
Saunton. The South coast down past Exeter is quicker to reach and
much more developed, Torquay being most upmarket, while the North
Coast is rugged and dramatic.

Swimming
Pool

Tiverton
has an excellent modern Sports Centre, on the road in on the left
before the hill up into town. It also has tennis courts and
skateboarding.

Cinema
and Theatre

The
Tivoli in Tiverton is an independent cinema mostly showing second run
films and deserves support. Taunton has an Odeon multiplex close to
the motorway junction. Exeter has an Odeon multiplex and the 3 screen
Picture House for less commercial films. Films, theatre and music are
on offer at the Phoenix Arts Centre in Gandy Street. The Northcott
Theatre, a theatre in the round, has a national reputation.

Walking

In
the information box are maps and booklets of various walks in and
around Bampton and further afield. Other villages are covered by
booklets that can be bought from the Tourist Offices in Tiverton and
Dulverton. A good website for Exmoor walks is
www.geoffbannister.com.

Sailing

Wimbleball
reservoir , just up the road, has sailing facilities including
tuition.

Fishing

Fishing
is on offer at Wimbleball and Clatworthy reservoirs and there are
local places which also offer fishing, such as trout at Exe Valley
Fishery, Exbridge, Dulverton. Telephone: 01398 323328. See leaflets
in the folder. Fly fishing tuition is available by businesses like
Nick Hart Fly Fishing, The Cottage, Benshayes Farm, Bampton, 01398
331660/07971 198559.

Devon
Badger Watch is highly
recommended, run from a farm about 6 miles away. The owners lead you
down through a wood into a comfortable hide. You then see the local
badgers come out, eat, play, fight and run around. A great experience
(but not available in the winter). Phone 01398 351506 to make an
appointment.

Places
to Visit

Houses
and Gardens

There
are many lovely houses and gardens within easy reach of Bampton and
you will find a selection of leaflets in the box. The nearest locally
is Knightshayes Court just down the road at Bolham, which is run by
the National Trust and is well worth a visit. There is more National
Trust information in the boxes including the current guide book and
you can consult their website if you want more detail or to check
opening times.

There
are also many gardens within easy reach and again there is a
selection of leaflets in the box. The Royal Horticultural Society’s
Rosemoor garden is about an hour’s drive away near Great Torrington
and if you are here for a few days you might like to make a short
expedition to the well known gardens in Cornwall, like Trebah and
Heligan, or the Eden project. Depending on the time of the year it
may be advisable to book in advance for the latter.

Other
Places

There
are many other places of interest within easy reach - too many to
list, ranging from the quirky – eg Gnome Reserve and Bakelite
Museum - to more conventional attractions. See the leaflets in the
box and check the links on the Bampton website. The local Tourist
Information Centre is inside the Tiverton Museum and there is another
at Dulverton.

Local
History

Tiverton
Museum off the street between the bus station and the Town Hall, is
much more interesting and well laid out than you might expect for a
small town museum. It provides a good social history of the area’s
agricultural and industrial past and is well worth a visit.

Local
Events

Bampton
Charter Fair is held on the last Thursday in October. Once
upon a time it was famous for sheep, Exmoor ponies and cattle. These
days it features a fun fair and a street market. Still worth a look
though, all the pubs and cafes are open all day and various events
will be laid on with programmes available in the Spar and other
shops. The main street is usually closed from the middle of the
afternoon on the Wednesday and all day Thursday. Signposted
diversions will bring you out on the South Molton road to the north
of the village.

“After
the Fair” is a free programme of folk music and song around the
village and in the local pubs with local and visiting folk groups,
from Friday and running into the weekend. Flyers are available in
local shops. See
also “Special Events” on the Bampton website for other events.